PM inaugurates Umm Al Houl power plant expansion project

QNA & TNN Doha Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani inaugurated Umm Al Houl power plant expansion pr...

QNA & TNNDohaPrime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani inaugurated Umm Al Houl power plant expansion project in Umm Al Houl Economic Zone in Al Wakra City on Tuesday. The PM was briefed on the strategic importance of the plant’s expansion and its role in contributing to achieving water security, and the growing role of the private sector in this field.The completion of the water expansion project constitutes a quantum leap towards achieving self-sufficiency in the production of electricity and water. The project enhances the efficiency of national companies in building capacities and achieving the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030 for building a prosperous and sustainable economy. Umm Al Houl Power Station will meet 30 percent of the country’s electric energy needs, and 40 percent of its desalinated water needs, producing 2,520 megawatts of electricity and 197.9 million gallons per day of desalinated water. This expansion will increase the production capacity of desalinated water by 61.4 million gallons per day, which raises the water production capacity in Umm Al Houl Power Station to 197.9 million gallons per day.In remarks on this occasion, Minister of State for Energy Affairs HE Saad Sherida Al Kaabi stressed the importance of the project, which adds to the series of achievement and successes accomplished by the State of Qatar under wise leadership of His Highness the Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, particularly those related to managing water and energy resources and the related infrastructure. “We are very proud of this leading strategic project, which was accomplished during difficult and challenging circumstances of a raging pandemic that hampered life and business around the world. However, we have managed to overcome all obstacles with the support of our wise leadership and the efforts of our partners to accomplish this project in record time and ahead of schedule,” he said.Al Kaabi added, “I would like to thank Essa Hilal Al Kuwari President of Khramma, Mohamed Nasser Al Hajri, the Chairman of Umm Al Houl Power Company and Managing Director and General Manager of the Qatar Electricity and Water Company, and Jamal Al Khalaf, the CEO of Umm Al Houl Power Company, for their valuable efforts to complete this project ahead of schedule.”The project has been successfully completed despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, and within the budgeted cost of about QR1.64 billion, thanks to the efforts of the national experts and all members of the project’s team. The expansion project is aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030 to preserve the environment, and the efforts of the energy sector in this regard to reduce carbon emissions. The project’s use of seawater from the current power plant’s cooling system as a provider for the expansion project is one of the unique design concepts for this project, which has eliminated the need to build a new seawater extracting facility, which helped reduce capital costs, reduce energy consumption, and increase maximum efficiency, thus reducing the cost of treated water by more than 25 percent.The project was implemented by two of the leading international companies: Samsung and Acciona, who have extensive experience in this field.